Fallout 2

Fallout 3

Fallout: New Vegas

Fallout 4

Given that I have almost zero knowledge about game development, I'd probably decline because I'd fuck something up. Then again, it's not like Bethesda hasn't and won't fuck it up either.

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I was going to say, it's not like the developers of Fallout 3 and 4 let that stop them.

Truthfully though, between all the intelligent, analytical gamers and skilled modders that frequent this community, if everyone really wanted to, No Mutants Allowed could create its own Fallout successor in no time. Imagine if instead of spending hours arguing about pre-war Jet, all that effort instead went into making a new RPG. It would really be something to behold.

Truthfully though, between all the intelligent, analytical gamers and skilled modders that frequent this community, if everyone really wanted to, No Mutants Allowed could create its own Fallout successor in no time. Imagine if instead of spending hours arguing about pre-war Jet, all that effort instead went into making a new RPG. It would really be something to behold.

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Problem is, only a few of us actually have experience in game-design, or even modding.

An NMA project would consist of maybe 1% doing something useful, and 99% unable to do anything.

Plus, those few fans who are capable of making a good Fallout game are already doing it(See 1.5, Nevada and Sonora)

And I should mention that at some point NMA did try to make a PnP version of Fallout - not that long ago, actually - there was lots of enthusiasm all around, but no actual work. For all our personal creativity, deep knowledge of the lore, analytical and critical approach, and technical skills among several members - we are still a bunch of random people who share a passion about one video game series.
As great as that is, it isn't really enough to get the ball rolling. Most of the time, anyway.

Problem is, only a few of us actually have experience in game-design, or even modding.

An NMA project would consist of maybe 1% doing something useful, and 99% unable to do anything.

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If users here are capable of posting detailed, point by point analyses of video games, I'm guessing they could figure out basic programming and pixel art if it came down to that. At the very least, they could just learn how to use Game Maker. The passion is there, I've seen it. I just don't think people here have the organizational capabilities of business behemoths like Activision/Blizzard or Zenimax to stay focused. All I know is that NMA's worst attempt at an RPG would be still better than Fallout 4.

And I should mention that at some point NMA did try to make a PnP version of Fallout - not that long ago, actually - there was lots of enthusiasm all around, but no actual work. For all our personal creativity, deep knowledge of the lore, analytical and critical approach, and technical skills among several members - we are still a bunch of random people who share a passion about one video game series.
As great as that is, it isn't really enough to get the ball rolling. Most of the time, anyway.

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Yeah, I considered these projects when I wrote the first post. I think lack of strong leadership and commitment is what dooms things like Fallout PnP. Inability to think outside the box is what keeps projects like Fallout 1.5, Fallout of Nevada, and Fallout Sonora relatively niche.

Look at what the original Fallout did to Wasteland. They just ripped off the premise, changed some backstory, and made a better game. The same thing could be done to Fallout. You don't need radscorpions and T-51b power armor to make a good successor. They could be mutant gila monsters and mech suits. Hell, it doesn't even necessarily have to be post-apocalyptic. The only thing a new 'Fallout' has to have is the original design philosophy intact. Bethesda couldn't say shit about it either, at that point they could keep fucking Vault Boy as the mascot for their Call of Mine-rim franchise for all we'd care. True Fallout fans will always move on to where the good writing and gameplay is at.

As much as I like my own idea (or rather, that sort of concept given that many people seem to share the vision) and would love to see a game done in that manner, I've gotta say that FO4 isometric shots are a thing of beauty:

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I posted some like that as well: (I really liked the FO4 Isometric concepts when they came out.)

If users here are capable of posting detailed, point by point analyses of video games, I'm guessing they could figure out basic programming and pixel art if it came down to that. At the very least, they could just learn how to use Game Maker. The passion is there, I've seen it. I just don't think people here have the organizational capabilities of business behemoths like Activision/Blizzard or Zenimax to stay focused. All I know is that NMA's worst attempt at an RPG would be still better than Fallout 4.

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Problem is that people here do not exist in a limbo. They have busy lives.
Learning new skills like programming and pixel art is very time consuming. Doing it while having to manage full time studying and/or have a family and/or working for a living and/or health problems, is impossible for most people around here.

Not to mention making a game would take years and probably over a decade. And that is with people who already have the skills to do it. Projects this big will always have people leaving at some point and needing to be replaced. Then if replacements are found, it will take time for them to learn all that was already made and be able to work on it. Then as the years pass by, entire parts of the project will need to be re-written from scratch, will need to be optimized for new hardware and software, sometimes the entire engine will be replaced and most work will need to be re-done once again. Since it is the same as an un-paid job, people could only work on it on their spare time, but many people here already have a very busy life, so there is little or no spare time for stuff like this.

I have been part of the TTW team for 6 years, we have re-built TTW from scratch three times already, many team members had to leave during the years (including the original creators of TTW), we had to get more people, the project was almost abandoned at a few points when development had just halted because no one had time to do any work, and private life got in the way. And this is using two already made games.
If we had to make a game ourselves it would probably have taken us this long and we would still not be close to finish it.

These kind of things may sound "easy" and "achievable", but only people who have been through it know that the chances are all against them. It will always take longer than planned, the team will crumble many times, passion will waver, people will grow out of it, the unexpected will happen (unexpected deaths, unexpected diseases, unexpected homelessness, unexpected computer blows up and loses a chunk of work that was lost forever, unexpected natural disasters that affect team members, and so on) etc.

I would love to see a NMA PA game. But at the current NMA situation, it would be impossible for it to happen. We already have trouble having more than a hand-full of regular posters, let alone people who can commit to something like that.

NMA's Fallout P&P RPG didn't go anywhere yet because of people being too busy. I could work at it a bit when I have time, but to be honest I don't have the motivation, since I wouldn't be able to play this RPG with people anyway. Not to mention that choose a ruleset takes quite a while (have to find a good one that fells familiar to Fallout players, while being balanced, not cumbersome and not need a calculator), have to go through tens of rulesets and check them all out to pick the "best", have to decide if it should be played over roll20, tabletop simulator or a different way, get enough players online at the same time to do some test runs, etc.

How did FOnline come to exist? (...and for that matter, what happened to it?)

I was part of Hexer's attempt at a Fallout campaign... but that did seem to fall apart, one day people just stopped logging into the developer forum.

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FOnline is an engine made by Russian fallout fans. It's purpose is to make a MMO engine that can read and use classic Fallout files (and other games like Arcanum and Baldur's Gate).
It is different from making a game, because they "just" (it still requires a lot of work and time, don't get me wrong) had to make a "base" or "foundation" for games to be made on. And it still took them 6-7 years to make something good enough that people could use to make their MMO.

That is why most FOnline games use pretty much most classic Fallout maps, locations, character sprites, RPG system, etc. And even they need years to be made into something playable.
If they had to make all new maps, locations, story, a RPG system from scratch, characters, sprites, etc. It would have taken a lot longer and more work put into it.

First of all, I would like to thank you for your dedication to the Fallout community through working on Tale of Two Wastelands for so long. I appreciate hearing your insight on this topic.

I did not mean to imply that something of this magnitude was easy to accomplish or even likely to materialize. I have been personally working on my game for almost 4 years now. I had to teach myself everything from scratch, had numerous life circumstances get in the way, lost work, and sometimes even considered giving up. I know the struggle just like I would imagine you do.

The point I was trying to make is that if the users here truly wanted to commit and make their dream game, it's not impossible. If people have the spare time to post on this website, they have time do other things. Where it may have come across like I thought making a game was simple, I was exaggerating. Hypothetically, if every second spent writing complaints about Bethesda on the internet was instead put to work on a better game, things would get done quickly. I of course realize this is incredibly unrealistic. I just wanted to make people think.

Except the single player aspect was bare bones and what did exist was made nigh impossible due to access to random encounters with assholes.

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The engine is not the game. One could say similar of Unity3d... a new project is pretty bare.

I didn't play it for long, but I see that many others had fun with it; and not bad considering its a hobby project, offered for free (afaik). Actually making a game with it is the equivalent of a year-round paid job; a possible diversion for the independently wealthy, but most people would have to hold two year-round jobs, with only one paying the bills. It took the professional developers at Interplay three (paid) years to make Fallout. For the last six months they did practically nothing else.

I worked on a (Legend of Grimrock) mod that had just nine and a half maps... and it took twenty-two of us over a year to complete—and completely test! (...and we still had to release three subsequent patches for it.)

It kind of fits the setting though. As someone who is adamantly against Fallout multiplayer, if it had to have it, that's the kind I think that it should... but not as a timeless world full of spawn-campers; as drop in players in the world, each out for themselves, and recruiting their own NPC party; capable of recruiting (bribing) the NPCs of other players, if they can manage to talk to them. Capable of long or short lived alliances.

Able to play each play the main campaign, and possibly loot places before the other arrives; or even leave traps. It would be a case of helping Set, and returning to find his court wiped out by another player... possibly with an ending for him like that of Hakunin's.